


Shake It Off

by Owlwithafringe



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Gaybriel the Gay, Humor, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pining Gabriel, Soon to be ex-boyfriend Brady, Stress Baking, Taylor Swift songs, unhappy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-03-07
Packaged: 2018-03-16 18:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3498107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlwithafringe/pseuds/Owlwithafringe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There wasn't much Gabriel could do in the meantime whilst he waited for Sam to realise that he was dating a Grade A douchebag when he should really be boning his attractive neighbour instead.</p><p>He couldn’t exactly walk up to Sam’s door, knock on it and say, “Hi, my name’s Gabriel. We’ve never spoken before but I’m really sorry about your asshole boyfriend and did I mention I’d like you to fuck me into next week?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shake It Off

Gabriel had noticed the tall, long haired Adonis that was his neighbour. How could he not? The guy sky-scraped over Gabriel’s measly five foot eight frame and he’d become worryingly attached to the man’s dimples.

His smile was captivating, and other than the man’s absurd height, that was the first thing he’d noticed about him. That shy smile he’d throw at Gabriel whilst he collected his mail, as if it wasn’t the most beautiful thing that Gabriel had seen in his short life. He probably gave it to everyone but something about it made Gabriel pause and lose his breathe and sanity completely until his neighbour had moved on. Gabriel then would only regain control of his limbs so he could call the emergency room.

It was quiet smile, hair falling over his eyes as he quickly glanced at Gabriel, shoulders hunched over as if he was trying to disguise his stature from onlookers. The guy reeked of awkward and introversion and he was easily the hottest piece of ass he’d ever seen, never mind the most adorable. 

Which lead to thoughts about him – Gabriel had all sorts of inappropriate daydreams about those delicious lips, whilst his poor neighbour walked innocently on, clueless to Gabriel’s lewd fantasies. Bless. 

The unlucky kid probably didn’t need his older neighbour lusting over him but as it was Gabriel was pretty proud of his self-control around him. He’d have been climbing that boy like a tree ages ago had there not been one small problem. 

A small problem was a superior six foot two (Gabriel swore he didn’t have a complex about his height; He was of normal height, he just happened to be surrounded by giants), blonde haired, blue eyed, suit wearing dick bag that went by the name of Brady. 

Gabriel still clung to the relief that he was crushing on an openly gay man, rather than a heterosexual or closeted dude. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those things but the first one didn’t get him laid and the second one was not something he could do.

Gabriel embraced the gay stereotype, deciding back as a teenager it would be amusing to make it his bitch, if only to see all the conservative assholes choke to death on their bile as he flounced past them. He was the cookie-baking, tight pants wearing, rainbow flavoured, musical watching homosexual who lived with dog that was more than happy to flaunt to flamboyancy and eccentricities to the discomfort of others. So he couldn’t really go back into the closet even if he wanted to.

But just because Gabriel was the Gayest Gay to ever live (and that was a direct quote from his also very gay friend, Charlie) and his obscenely good looking neighbour happened to swing that way, it still left him with the issue of ‘Brady’.

Brady and Gabriel’s neighbour (Sam, Gabriel discovered his name was, after discretely checking the names on his mail for reasons that he doesn’t need to explain himself for) were in a relationship. But by the sounds of it, it seemed to be a pretty shitty one, much to Gabriel’s sadistic delight. 

On one hand, he felt awful that someone as remarkable as Sam had to put up with that jerk that he called a boyfriend, but on the second hand it meant that if they ever broke up then Gabriel was in with more of a chance – and no, that was not Gabriel’s jealously talking or his ‘desperation’ as his brother had so lovingly put it.

To be perfectly honest, Gabriel probably would have moved on already if they hadn’t lived next to each other. He would have had to: Gabriel was many things but a home wrecker, he was not. Even if it was a really crappy home. 

If Brady had been abusive, then that would have been a different matter but from what Gabriel had gathered, the coward preferred to use his tongue rather than his fists; admittedly something Gabriel was quite familiar with, though he could easily hold his own in a fight.

But there was not much Gabriel could do in the meantime whilst he waited for Sam to realise that he was dating a Grade A douchebag when he should really be boning his attractive neighbour instead.

He couldn’t exactly walk up to Sam’s door, knock on it and say, “Hi, my name’s Gabriel. We’ve never spoken before but I’m really sorry about your asshole boyfriend and did I mention I’d like you to fuck me into next week?”

Well, in fairness Gabriel could say that but it could lead to a very awkward first impression and possibly a door slammed in his face. Not exactly the erotic first date Gabriel was looking for.

At first the shouting matches between Sam and Brady had startled Gabriel through the thin walls – Gabriel wasn’t entirely convinced that the walls weren’t made from cardboard. 

As the arguments reoccurred, becoming a near daily thing, Gabriel had gotten used to them. In those early days, he’d stop and listen to figure out what they were about. He couldn’t help himself, as his curiosity won out to know what could possibly make them scream at each other like that.

As time went on though, Gabriel just felt helpless. Helpless to help Sam, because there wasn’t anything he could do. Relationship problems were none of his business, hot neighbour or not. 

If _he_ felt helpless then he couldn’t even begin to imagine how Sam felt; every argument his voice grew quieter and meeker until the point it was silent and only the sound of ferocious spitting of insults lashed out from Brady’s tongue like a slowly killing poison, worming its way into every pore on Sam’s skin, only to be absorbed by the self-deprecating part of Sam’s mind.

And then Brady would leave after his last cutting statement, slamming the door behind him so hard that the window panes all the way through to Gabriel’s apartment rattled. With all due respect to the window panes, Gabriel could sneeze and they’d rattle but the door slamming was going to leave permanent damage at the rate Brady was going.

But the hardest part for Gabriel was what came after. After the screaming and slamming and noise was a complete and utter silence. The calm after the storm: Everyone holding their breath until they’re sure they can truly relax again, that the worst was now over. 

And then the tears would come. The choked sobs muffled by walls and probably a fist or pillow. The cries of a man who was being emotionally torn apart everyday by someone who was supposed to love him. It hurt Gabriel to hear it. It hurt like someone had shoved a clawed hand into the cavity of his chest and was trying to tear out his heart but couldn’t get a good enough grip to rip it out. Extended heart surgery without anaesthetic. 

Gabriel wanted nothing more to hold this man in his arms, this _stranger_ , and keep him close to his chest, soothing hands caressing his back in comfort whilst he told him everything would be alright. He wanted to rip apart anything that wanted to hurt Sam, a fury boiling underneath his usually care free demeanour. 

But he couldn’t.

It didn’t mean there weren’t other things he couldn’t do though. He needed to help Sam in some way, even if it was small. He first stumbled upon the idea during one of Sam’s and Brady’s arguments. Gabriel was stress baking. Cookies were something he could make in his sleep so it was easy enough to bake them without paying much attention.

The ritual door slamming of Brady’s exit was perfectly in synch with Gabriel’s first bite from one of his finished cookies, as he wondered what he was going to do with so many biscuits. It was only then that the metaphorical bulb over his head lit up. 

He finished munching on his cookie and gathered some to pile onto a plate, leaving a few behind on the cooling rack – he’d slaved over them for so long so he was going to get more than one. He was nice but he wasn’t that nice. 

Gabriel left his apartment, balancing the plate of cookies and stood face to face with Sam’s door. It left him with the problem of how to deliver them. It made him think again about knocking and introducing himself as Sam’s creepy neighbour but the thought barely lingered in his mind. He always had been a coward. 

He left the plate on the ground before knocking on Sam’s door, wincing at sound seemed loud in the still silence, before dashing back to his door, shutting the door with a quiet click.

\---

It started becoming a frequent habit. Gabriel would hear an argument and he’d stick the oven on. His apartment constantly smelled of freshly baked goods. He’d even created a special playlist to play after the arguments and for whilst he baked. Taylor Swift obviously, and Gabriel felt extremely devious and intelligent with his song choices; some common favourites being ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’. One day he was feeling quite brazen and played ‘You Belong with Me’. He was sort of hoping Sam would decode the message, figure it out and sweep Gabriel into his manly arms. That was the plan anyway.

Gabriel would drop the cookies outside of Sam’s and then come back later to find an empty plate. Today was supposed to be no different. 

Gabriel bent down to pick up the empty plate when the front door of Sam’s apartment swung open. Gabriel froze as bare feet and jean cladded legs came into view. Shit. Gabriel resolutely stared at the floor. If he couldn’t see him then Sam couldn’t see him either right? But the temptation to look up was too strong. 

His eyes followed up Sam’s legs, past his pelvis where his t-shirt had ridden up revealing those delicious v-cut hips (oh sweet baby Jesus have mercy on his soul), up his torso where Sam’s muscled arms were crossed and up to his face. His face looked a little pale and his hair was a mess but he still looked as beautiful as ever.

“So you’re the cookie fairy.” Sam asked, a sense of wonderment and confusion in his voice.

Gabriel straightened up to his full height, plate in hand. “No, no, not me. I’m just a compulsive plate thief.”

Sam curved an eyebrow in disbelief. 

“Ok, ok I admit it. How did you know it was me?”

“Your apartment smells like a bakery. I can smell it from the landing. And then more obviously, catching you taking the plate back?”

“Ok, point. It was supposed to make you feel better Sambo.”

“With Taylor Swift songs?” Sam scoffed.

“Shake It Off is a classic and a very subtle message.”

“What? That I should ‘shake’ Brady ‘off’?”

“Um.. maybe?”

Sam snorted, a small smile gracing his lips. “Don’t worry about it man. That jackass is gone for good this time.”

Gabriel perked up. “Really?” He then realised he sounded too eager to someone who’d just broken up with their boyfriend. “I mean those rows were pretty awful but he always came back.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, we’re finished.” He paused for a moment, looking like he was mulling something over in his mind. He gave himself a small nod as if he’d agreed in his head to what he was thinking. “So.. Gabriel. Do you want to come in?”

Ok, first of all: Sam knew his name? Perhaps Gabriel hadn’t been the only one doing some pervy mail spying. And second of all: He was being invited into his place? Holy crap.

“I’d love to Sasquatch, but let me ask you this; how do you know I’m not a serial killer who’ll cut you up into little pieces as soon as we get into your apartment?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “You bake cookies and listen to Taylor Swift.”

“Hey! I’m terrifying.”

Sam grinned and stepped back into his apartment, widening the door so Gabriel could come in. “You coming or what? I’ve still got some of those cookies you baked left over.”

How could Gabriel refuse an offer of cookies? He followed Sam into the apartment, shutting the door behind him softly.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I named a fic after a Taylor Swift song. I can't tell if it's magical or a cliché. For the record, this is one of my favourite fics that I've ever written, so hopefully my writing reflects that.
> 
> Feel free to leave kudos and comments, feedback is always appreciated and motivates me to write more! Come and find me on Tumblr at **[Owlwithafringe](http://owlwithafringe.tumblr.com/)** , to see updates on fics and fandom related things.


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